Under The Shadows Of The Moon
by Lavender Gaia
Summary: Nightwing and Troia. Robin and Wonder Girl. Any word can describe them. This is a collection of 100 one shots using one word to describe their relationship.
1. Beginnings

**Note: **These are all for the 100fanfic challenge on Live Journal. They are copied directly from my Live Journal unless otherwise noted. More information on the challenge can be found in my profile.

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**Title:** Simple Times  
**Fandom:** Teen Titans  
**Characters:** Nightwing/Troia  
**Prompt:** 001. Beginnings  
**Word Count**: 469  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Everything was so simple back then, or so they thought. Little did they know that they were starting a new beginning.  
**Author's Notes:** Occurs post Infinity-Crisis, after Diana retakes the Wonder Woman mantle.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, or Troia. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Donna Troy looked across her kitchen island into the living room. "Of course," she dug the ice cream scoop into the carton of mint chocolate chip. "We were trying to save a bunch of teenagers from their mean parents. We were such dorks."

Dick looked offended as he walked behind her to retrieve two spoons. "We were not."

She raised an eyebrow at him while handing over his bowl. "Whatever you say, Robin-Bobbin."

"Ugh," he winced to accompany the groan. "Okay, Wonder Doll, I guess you're right. We were total dorks."

"And yet, everyone thought we were the coolest things since sliced bread," Donna plopped on the couch next to him, bringing her spoon to her mouth to savor the sweet treat.

"Hey, we did a lot of great things," he protested, waving his spoon in the air. "Defeated a lot of villains."

She nodded with mock serious. "Oh, yeah. Mad Mod, Ding Dong Daddy, Gargoyle? The lake monster?"

"I recall you having a slight obsession with Mad Mod…"

"Every crack about Mad Mod is officially rescinded," she bit her lip sheepishly. "Let's never bring that up again, okay?"

He grinned, holding up his hands in surrender. "Truce." Chuckling lightly, he added, "Wally had the biggest crush on you."

A pillow slammed into his head. "I thought we weren't talking about embarrassing things anymore!"

"It's not embarrassing to you, it's embarrassing to Wally!" he protested, taking the pillow from her and sticking his tongue out. "He was so bad at flirting with you."

"By Hera, he was!" she agreed, burying her face in her hands. "It always annoyed me."

"You never had trouble turning him down," Dick remarked, putting his empty ice cream bowl on the top of the glass coffee table. "Of course, you never turned Roy down at all."

She crossed her arms over her chest, a blush rising on her face. "I was fourteen and lived on an island full of women. Plus, even then Roy was learning from Ollie."

His arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I know, I'm just teasing you."

Donna leaned against him, in a way that was second nature to breathing. "Everything's changed now. Back then, it was all so simple."

He stroked her arm lightly, "Not everything's changed."

"That's right," she smiled up at him. "I've got you."

"And I've got you back," Dick pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Her hand found one of his, squeezing it comfortingly. "I won't leave you again, Dick. I promise you that."

"I know." He sighed lightly. "It's a new world out there."

"A new beginning," she agreed, moving closer to him.

"Right…" Gently, he kissed her temple, thinking that it could be a new beginning for the two of them.

* * *

A/N: Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated. 


	2. She

Title: All For Him  
Fandom: Teen Titans  
Characters: Nightwing/Troia  
Prompt: 085. She  
Word Count: 242  
Rating: PG  
Summary: She did everything for him, except for the one thing that could have made his life perfect: The one thing she thought, above all, was selfish.  
Author's Notes: Thank you to Caytie for all of your fantastic help!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, or Troia. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

Donna Troy and Dick Grayson are best friends.

She has been his best friend since they were thirteen years old.

She followed his instructions on missions, helping with his personal mission of defending the weak and powerless.

She taught him that girls could do anything boys could do…sometimes better.

She laughed with him, cried with him, supported him.

She became his second-in-command when he needed someone to keep him grounded, something she even managed to do from ten feet in the air.

She talked to him up to Starfire, though it tore her up inside.

She asked him to walk her down the aisle, even though it was him she wanted to be walking towards.

She took over for him as leader despite her own misgivings so he could follow his love to Tamaran.

She comforted him and put him in his place after Starfire got married to Karras.

She planned and hosted his own wedding to Starfire, convincing the bride to go through with it even though she wanted him for herself.

She consoled him after the wedding disaster, letting him go find a new home for himself.

She told him she loved him all the time, because she knew Bruce never did.

She sacrificed herself so he could live.

She has done so many small things over the years that he would never realize.

The one thing she's never done is tell him how in love with him she is.

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A/N: Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated. 


	3. Breakfast

Title: Sweet as Syrup  
Fandom: Teen Titans  
Characters: Nightwing/Troia  
Prompt: 056. Breakfast  
Word Count: 948  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: Dick decides to stay for breakfast…  
Author's Notes: Dedicated to alittlesummerwine. Apparently they take after their mentors, huh?  
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, or Troia. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

The spatula slid carefully under the piece of French toast, flipping it over. It sizzled lightly as she dipped another piece of fresh challa into the batter. Donna hoped this was a good choice; anything else just seemed so plain. Living in New York, she got bagels all the time, and wouldn't even buy lox because it upset Garth so much.

Behind her, the microwave beeped, signaling that the bacon was finished. Donna abandoned the French toast to pull out the plate, setting it to cool on the counter. As she turned to put a new piece of bread on to the skillet, a throat was cleared behind her. She made sure that the pan wasn't about to fall off the stove before turning around.

Dick Grayson was standing in the middle of her living room, hair tousled from a night's sleep, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers that ironically had the Superman symbol on them. His skin glowed in the early morning sun, unmarred except for a small scar on his right shoulder that had once been a bullet hole. "Good morning," he greeted her, running a hand through his raven locks.

"Good morning," she replied, wondering if her smile betrayed her nervousness. "Do you want some coffee?"

The carefree Dick Grayson grin spread over his face. "Have I ever said no to coffee?"

"If you did, an emergency Bat-alarm would probably go off and we'd know you were an imposter," she quipped, turning towards the percolator. She poured a generous amount of caffeinated goodness into a large mug, mixing in the perfect amount of sugar and milk. He always claimed to like it black, but she saw how he winced at the bitterness.

She walked around the island to where he was standing, sliding the warm mug into his hand. Without his eyes leaving hers, he sipped from the cup. "Perfect." He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Thank you."

It was difficult to keep the flush of happiness off her face as she moved back to flip the French toast. "I don't see why you insist on drinking it black most of the time."

"That's how Bruce always makes it."

"And I'm sure Bruce also chews tin foil in his spare time. That doesn't mean you have to do it too," she retorted playfully.

He was still smiling as he slid into a stool at the island breakfast bar, watching her move back and forth through the kitchen in her red silk teddy. "Can I help?"

She shook her head, frying up another piece of bread. "You're fine right where you are." After putting another finished piece on the plate, she asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Are you kidding? I don't think I've slept that well in years." He stretched with a satisfied grunt. "Your bed is probably the most comfortable one I've ever slept on. Of course, it could have been due to the company."

Fighting off a blush, she slid a plate of French toast and bacon in front of him. She glanced around, making sure he had silverware and condiments. "Do you need anything?"

"Just waiting for you," he smiled, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, don't. It'll get cold," she scolded him.

"Then I'll heat up the syrup. Really, Donna, compared to what I normally eat, cold French toast is a delicacy."

She sighed. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"I thought taking care of me was your job," he teased.

"Well, someone has to do it!" After her pieces of French toast were finished cooking, she sat next to him at the island.

Dick grabbed her elbow so that she turned to look at him. When she did so, he kissed her slowly and gently, making her insides melt. "Thank you for breakfast," he whispered.

"Thank you for staying," she replied, cutting into her meal.

For a while they ate in silence until Dick spoke up, "I can make breakfast tomorrow if you like."

Donna looked at him in surprise. "Tomorrow?"

"If you want. I mean, it won't be anything like this, but I can make omelets."

Smirking lightly, she requested, "Ham and cheese?"

Dick grinned. "Is there any other kind?"

"Sounds great," she leaned over and kissed his cheek warmly. "And I always want you here."

As the French toast disappeared from their plate, leaving only syrup drippings in its wake, he gathered up the plates. "Alright, you cooked, I'm cleaning up."

"Leave it," she instructed, climbing off her stool.

"What do you mean?" he frowned, hesitating over the sink.

"We'll get to it later," she promised, taking a moment to put the butter and syrup in the refrigerator.

He glanced at the plates, then back at her. "Alfred says that syrup hardens and then it's hell to get off."

Stopping the bottom of the sink, she turned the hot water on and squirted some dish soap in. "They'll soak, it'll be even easier." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she purred, "I just thought that since we had such a calorie-laden breakfast we'd try to find some way to work it off."

"Oh," he smiled, dropping the plates into the water. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea." Their lips met in a passionate exchange as they moved towards the bedroom. "You know," he murmured against her neck, "If this is what I get after eating your delicious cooking, I'm never going to want to go home."

Donna sucked gently at his bottom lip. "Who wants you to go home?"

They locked lips as Dick carried her across the threshold of her bedroom, shutting the door closed behind them.

* * *

A/N: I, like so many others, have been sucked into the National Novel Writing Month. For all of November, I'm going to be working on a 50,000 word novel. I'll still probably but up these oneshots occasionally, because a lack of Dick/Donna depresses me.

Happy Halloween!

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Strangers

**Title:** Chance Meetings  
**Fandom:** Teen Titans  
**Characters:** Donna Troy, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson  
**Prompt:** 025. Strangers  
**Word Count**: 1,829  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Donna Troy and Barbara Gordon are strangers, yet they are the two most important women in Dick Grayson's life.  
**Author's Notes:** Occurs post Infinite Crisis.  
**Dedicated to: **Caytie, who is the only reason I would ever think of writing Babs even slightly in character.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, Troia, or Oracle. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

Donna sighed, running a hand through her hair as she walked down the Gotham street. Somehow, it was much hotter in Gotham than it was in New York, especially in a business jacket and skirt. She had slightly little more than an hour until she had to be in her next meeting, just enough time to get lunch and stop her stomach from yelling at her.

Next to her was a bakery/deli combo, which only made her stomach grumble louder. Sure, this was Gotham, so it was probably the headquarters for a group of mobsters or the center of a drug ring, but the smell of baking bread was so intoxicating that she just didn't care. Opening the door, a ringing bell greeted her and she scanned the room for an open table.

Her eyes fell on a redhead in a wheelchair who was typing on a laptop. She looked incredibly familiar and Donna decided to approach her. "Barbara Gordon?"

The redhead looked up, peering at her with blue eyes through wire-framed glasses. "Yes?"

"I'm Donna," she cleared her throat. "Donna Troy."

It didn't take Barbara more than a moment to make the connection. "Oh…" a look of enlightenment passed over her face.

Donna pushed a lock of black hair behind her ear. "I'm really sorry to just barge in on your lunch like this, but I've always wanted to meet you."

"I've always wanted to meet you too." Barbara gestured to the chair opposite her at the table. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you," she smiled carefully, gracefully sliding on to the seat. " I'm a photographer, so I'm generally biased against any pictures that aren't mine, but the photos Dick has of you really don't do you justice."

It was hard to tell whether Barbara was actually smiling or just doing it to be polite. "And you're even prettier in person."

Donna smoothed her skirt. "Yeah, well, being reborn can do that to you." As the waitress came to their table, she ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich made on whatever bread smelled so wonderful.

"Right," Barbara nodded. "Dick…he didn't tell you to come see me, did he?"

The brunette shook her head. "Oh, no, not at all. I don't think he even knows I'm in Gotham. I came for a business meeting. Models." She rolled her eyes. "I hate models."

"Hard to work with?" Barbara raised an eyebrow over the frames of her glasses.

"Unbearable sometimes," Donna sighed. "If I didn't love photography so much…"

"That's why I stick to computers," the redhead patted the machine in front of her. "You can always fix them."

The Amazon smiled. "And they don't threaten lawsuits when you throw tripods at them."

Barbara blinked in surprise. "You've thrown tripods at your models?"

"Many times in my mind," she acknowledged. "I've never actually done it, but it's getting there. I'm not good at computers like you are, so I very rarely let my pictures get touched up with CG. I try to get it perfect with the camera alone."

"We all have our own talents," Barbara took a sip of her tea, waiting as the waitress brought Donna her lunch. "You didn't come here to talk to me, did you?"

Donna shook some sweetener and creamer into her coffee. "It was a complete coincidence that I ran into you."

The redhead sighed. "I mean...you're here to talk about Dick."

The brunette stared down at her sandwich for a moment. "I'm not going to ask you why you didn't go through with the wedding. I wouldn't want you asking why all my marriages failed."

"Fair enough," Barbara nodded.

"I wanted to see you in person," Donna explained. "Not just hear stories."

"Why?"

Eyes falling back to the table, she whispered, "He's loved you for so long. I wanted to see what you have that I don't."

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "What I have that you don't? I think you have that backwards."

"There must be something," Donna reasoned. "Maybe it's the redhead thing?"

"Maybe, but don't become a redhead," she drained the rest of her tea. "It wouldn't suit you."

"Oh, I know," Donna sighed. "I just...wanted to figure it out, I guess. I know everything about the multiverse, but this still escapes me."

Barbara sat her empty mug down and looked directly into Donna's eyes. "You love him, don't you?"

Donna had to break the eye contact, swallowing to get rid of a lump in her throat. "…more than anything else in the world."

The redhead nodded. "Well, there are always some girls out there who are hopelessly in love with him. Just the kind of guy he is, I guess."

Looking up sharply, Donna refuted, "I'm not that kind of girl. I'm not…Bette or someone. I've been in love with him since I was thirteen years old. Before I was even supposed to know what a man was."

"Longer than me, you mean," Barbara retorted.

"That's not what I meant."

"But you know it's true," Barbara pointed out. "I want to say that you just came to talk to me so you could assure yourself that you're not only prettier than me, but better all around than I am. But I've heard too many good things about you to believe that."

Donna shook her head. "That's not it at all. I know he's been crazy about you for years and he's never given me a second glance."

"That's not true," Barbara sighed. "Dick cares about you a lot."

"How do you know?" the Wonder Girl insisted.

The redhead swallowed hard. "Because when you died it was like a piece of him died with you. He wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks, he was even more reclusive than usual…it was like he didn't want to feel anything. You may have loved him longer, but I've known him longer than you have—he really does love you, whether it's in the way you want him to or not."

Donna was quiet for a moment. "Are you two going to get back together?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I know he only proposed to me because it was spur of the moment and it seemed like the right thing at the time," Barbara seemed annoyed. "From what I hear, he did the same thing with the spice girl."

"Koriand'r," Donna corrected.

"Whatever. Either way, Dick's not ready for marriage and I'm not sure that's what I want. I don't even think we want the same things when it comes to life," she contemplated aloud. "I'd bet my life on the fact that he wants kids, because that's what his parents taught him. But I'm not the kind of woman who can provide him kids, who can be the mother. I know you want kids." At Donna's quizzical look, Barbara explained, "I heard about your son. I'm sorry for your loss."

The harbinger nodded. "Oh…well, yes, I do want more children. And I want to be married. But…I think this time I'm willing to wait for Dick to come around, not jump into another marriage. But I do want him. If I've learned anything from being resurrected, it's that life is too short and unless you're prepared to wait for what you want, you have to go get it."

"So you're going after Dick?" Barbara confirmed. Hesitantly, Donna nodded, and the redhead continued. "I'm not going to tell you not to or anything. Good luck. Maybe you'll finally be that person who can make him happy. Lord knows that entire family needs it."

That made Donna smile. "You're right about that. Barbara…do you think we'd ever be able to be friends?"

"I don't know," the older woman admitted. "Besides, some mutual friends, we really don't have anything in common. I know Dinah thinks highly of you though. But hell, there's probably going to be a Dick Grayson Castoff support group soon."

Donna chuckled. "I suppose I'll see you there?"

Barbara scrutinized her carefully. "No. Actually, I don't think we'd see you there." Checking her watch, she noted. "It's getting late. I should probably be getting home."

As she pulled out her wallet, Donna protested. "Let me pay for your lunch."

"You don't have to do that," Barbara insisted.

"No, really. I'll charge it to my company as a business lunch. Have you ever thought of modeling? You have very pretty eyes."

Barbara smiled. "No, thanks though. I guess I'll be seeing you."

"It was nice meeting you, Barbara," Donna told her whole-heartedly.

"It was very enlightening to meet you," the older woman moved away from the table and rolled towards the exit. "Tell Dick I said hi."

The photographer watched her leave, then glanced at her own watch. She was probably going to be late for her meeting, but it was their fault for making her come all the way out to Gotham. She took her time eating her sandwich, then paid for lunch before heading out onto the streets of Gotham.

Her phone rang as she headed back toward the office building. "Hello?"

"Hey, Donna, it's Dick."

She immediately brightened up. "Oh, I was just thinking about you. What's up?"

"I have a favor to ask of you. Can I use your washing machine?" he begged. "Mine broke and I hate the idea of wasting time at a coin laundry place."

"No, go right ahead. Actually, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to dinner and a movie with me tonight," she asked warily.

"Sounds like fun," he told her, smile evident in his voice. "But I'm paying and you're not allowed to argue with me about that."

Donna giggled. "You'll find no arguments here. I should be back in the city around six, so…"

"Back? Where are you now?"

"Gotham, actually. I have a business meeting, trying to get some new clients."

"Gotham, huh? You did let Bruce know first, right? You know how he hates metas in his city."

With a grin she told him, "I think it'll be okay. I've been here for hours and haven't gotten attacked by a bat yet."

" Well," he mused, "you're a goddess, so you're probably an exception."

Donna blushed lightly. "And don't you forget it, Grayson."

"Would dream of it, Donna. So, if you're going to be here sometime after six, I'll probably already be at your place, doing laundry and waiting for you with bated breath."

Laughing, she asked, "You have a key, right?"

"That I do."

"Then I'll see you then. Bye, Dick," she said remorsefully, preferring to talk to him for hours rather than sit in meetings with vapid blondes and overly-siliconed divas.

"Bye, Wonder Babe."

"I love you," she whispered right before he hung up the phone. Pulling it from her ear, she closed it and slipped it back in her purse. She may not be his childhood crush, Barbara Gordon, but tonight she was his date and that's all that mattered for now.

* * *

**A/N: **I had some writers block for my novel, so I thought I'd pop this out. I'm really not the best at writing Barbara (this is my first real try), so thank you to Caytie for helping me. And if it seems OOC, blame her.

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	5. Passing

**Title:** Crash and Burn  
**Fandom:** Teen Titans  
**Characters:** Nightwing, Troia, Wonder Woman  
**Prompt:** 065. Passing.  
**Word Count**: 2200  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Donna has always been there for Dick. It's time for him to return the favor.  
**Author's Notes:** This happens right after the Technis Imperative but before the start of The Titans.  
**Warning: **It's angsty. If it turned out how I wanted it to, it should probably be classified as a tearjerker. Just lettin' you know. No complaining.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, Troia., or Wonder Woman. They are all property of DC Comics.  
**Dedicated **to alittlesummerwine for being the inspiration. And just for that, I'm stealing your song thing. Thanks for the beta too!

* * *

"_If you need to fall apart, I can mend a broken heart. If you need to crash, then crash and burn. You're not alone." –Savage Garden_

Heaving a sigh of relief, Dick Grayson thanked whichever God made his phone ring at that moment. His hand was cramping from a titanic amount of paperwork and any break from the work was welcome. "Bludhaven Police Department, Officer Grayson speaking," he introduced himself as he picked up the receiver, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs out under his desk. The tiny cubicle was hell compared to being out on the street.

"Dick?" a familiar feminine voice said on the other end of the line.

"This is Dick Grayson," he repeated slowly. "Who is this?"

"It's Diana, Dick," she told him, and he finally connected the voice to Wonder Woman.

Quickly sitting up in his chair, Dick frowned at the phone. "Diana? Is something wrong?" Without giving her a chance to answer, he sighed, "What did Bruce do now?"

With a chuckle, the ambassador told him, "It doesn't concern Bruce. I actually called to talk about Donna."

"Oh, okay." He quickly went over important dates in his head. Donna's birthday wasn't for a few months. They had just seen each other a few weeks ago when they helped Vic, and they were planning on getting together with the rest of the original Titans sometime next week. "What's up?"

The Amazon sighed. "After you got back from helping during the Technis catastrophe, she's been…Well, she hasn't been herself. Most of the time she goes to work, comes home, and goes to bed. I admit that I'm unusually busy at the moment, but I offered to take us out to dinner last night and she refused."

Running a hand through his thick black hair, Dick asked, "Do you think she's working too hard? I know she loves her job, but she hates to let people down. Sometimes she won't stop if she thinks someone needs her. I speak from experience," he added wryly.

"I don't think so," she replied, voice coated with concern. "She hasn't used her darkroom for days and she seems to be avoiding calls from designers. I'm worried about her, Dick."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" he offered, tapping his pen against the desk as he ran the scenario through his head.

A sigh of relief escaped Diana. "Would you, Dick? I've been trying, but she doesn't seem to be responding. You're her best friend; I was hoping you'd be able to get through to her."

He nodded on the other end of the line. "No problem. I can head over tonight if that's okay."

"Perfect," Diana said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "I have to work late at them Embassy and then there's a Justice League meeting. Thank you again for this. I really appreciate it."

"Nothing to thank me for," he protested. "After everything she's done for me, it's the least I can do. I'll give you an update when I get one, Diana."

"Thank you, Dick. Goodbye." Her tone was sincere and she paused for a second to show her gratitude before hanging up the phone.

After hanging up his receiver, Dick Grayson stared at it for a minute, then rubbed his hands over his eyes. Donna was always the one who did the talking when someone needed it. Apparently now it was time for him to return the favor.

* * *

On Fifth Avenue in New York City, Donna Troy sat in the penthouse apartment that she owned with her sister, unable to take in the beauty of her surroundings or the incredible view it gave her of the Big Apple. She was oblivious to everything except for the book in front of her. It lay lightly on her lap and she flipped the pages slowly, carefully, as if frightened that something would ruffle the fabric of the world if anything bad happened to the book.

A layout of sonogram pictures was arranged opposite the birth announcement that read, "Robert Long. Son of Terry Long and Donna Hinkley Stacey Troy Long. 6 lbs 7 oz. 19 inches." She gently ran her hand over the small satin bow that adorned the top of the announcement, a lump growing in her throat as she found it harder to breathe.

She was startled out of her reverie by a loud banging on her door. "Open up! Police!" Quickly closing the book and, putting it on the top of the coffee table, she rushed towards the front door and opened it, wondering if something had happened.

Donna was greeted by bright blue eyes and a boyish smile from the face of Dick Grayson as he told her, "I heard that there was a disturbance here, ma'am. Mind explaining that?"

Smiling in spite of herself, Donna hit his arm light. "Dick!" she admonished, shaking her head. "You scared me."

"Isn't that the job of Bludhaven's Finest?" he teased at his own expense before his face dropped in sadness. "What? Just because I scared you I don't get a hug?"

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close, Donna asked him, "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you."

"Well, I was in the neighborhood," he began, though was instantly cut off by an eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Okay, so I was in the neighborhood after I drove to New York and I thought I'd stop by with dinner."

"Pizza, right?" she smiled, holding the door to the penthouse open for him.

Frowning in confusing, he asked her, "How'd you know?"

She smiled at him and explained, "For one, I've known you for ten years, Dick. I know you probably better than you know yourself. Second, I can smell it and it smells fabulous. Bring it in here."

He bent down to retrieve the food, carrying it into the gourmet kitchen and putting it on the counter. "I got a large pie, garlic rolls, and a Caesar salad. For you, of course."

"Of course," she chuckled. "And I've got mints for afterwards. Unless you're worried about running into some vampires on patrol tonight."

"I wouldn't be surprised," the officer snorted. "It is Bludhaven, after all."

Donna got plates and a beer for each of them as Dick settled along the island bar. "You just wanted to have dinner?"

"Don't act so surprised," he pleaded. "We did say that we wanted to see each other more often. And you're a lot easier to visit than Garth."

Settling on the bar stool next to his, she smiled kindly at him. "Roy's just as easy to see, if you're willing to brave his apartment."

Breaking off a garlic roll, Dick chuckled. "Even I'm not that brave. Besides, you never try to convince me to get you a pony."

"Lian asked you for a pony?" Donna laughed, taking a slice of pizza out of the box.

"Who said anything about Lian? Roy's the one who wanted a pony! Lian would have been fine with a puppy, but he always has to be extravagant…"

After catching her breath from laughing so hard, she questioned, "So, how is work over in the 'Haven, Officer Grayson?"

The two ate together as he launched into a story about his newest case and how much trouble the thugs in the city were giving him. Although she nodded, laughed, and asked questions at all the right times, Dick could tell that she was only paying half attention. Her eyes seemed glazed over at times, and it was obvious that her mind was elsewhere. As he searched their blue depths for an answer, it hurt his heart to see one of the people he cared most about in the world so lost.

When they had finished eating, Donna put the plates in the dishwasher and Dick settled on the couch. Lying on the coffee table was a light blue volume that read "Baby Book" across the front of it. He carefully picked it up, flipping through the pages and examining the photographs inside it. It was obvious who had taken which photos, as the ones with just Terry and Robert were always perfect, while the ones of Donna and her son were lopsided, had bad lighting, or other types of physical flaws. Still, the joy on the new mother's face was unmistakable as it radiated from the pictures.

Donna approached the living room, freezing for a second before hesitantly joining her friend on the couch. "That one is one of my favorites," she told him, pointing to a candid shot of Terry rocking Robert while feeding him from a bottle.

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" Dick whispered quietly.

"Terry was a good man," she explained, voice equally soft. "He didn't deserve to die."

Catching her gaze and looking her straight in the eye, Dick said, "I was talking about Bobby."

Her eyes fell to a picture of her son as they welled with unshed tears. "Every moment of every day," she croaked, throat tight with emotion. "But he's in a better place now."

Dick shook his head. "That's a lie. There's no better place than being with you." His trained eyes watched as she absorbed his words. "Donna…" he trailed off as her shoulders began to shake. He could feel his heart breaking just as it had done in the virtual world as he pulled her out of the only place in the world she wanted to be.

She placed her head in her hands, letting the tears fall as sobs wracked her body. Unable to think of anything else to do, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her back. "Oh, Gods, Dick," she moaned in pain. "He was my baby boy. He was my baby boy and now he's gone…"

Simply nodding, he tightened his grip on her, wanting to just push the hurt out of her body and insist she feel better. Of course, he knew it didn't work that way. "I know, Donna."

"He was just a baby," she ranted. "So little. He couldn't protect himself. That was my job. It was my job to protect him and I just let him die!"

"Don't say that!" he insisted, his own eyes filling with tears.

Donna shook her head, brushing off his statement. "I should I have been there. I should have been a better wife and mother. Then Terry and I would have still been together and I would have been there. I could have saved them! All of them. Terry, Jennifer…my sweet Bobby… It's all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault," Dick protested, kissing the top of her head as tears fell from his face, shining on the strands of her hair like fading stars.

"What did I do, Dick?" she begged, gripping his shirt in her heads as she yearned for a comforting touch. "Did I do something wrong? What did I do to deserve this?"

Cupping her face in his hands, he forced her to look up at him, blue eyes meeting blue. "Don't you ever say that," he hissed, kissing her softly. "You are the best person I have ever met. You're kind, gentle, loving, generous, honest… There is no one as beautiful as you, inside and out."

Calmed down slightly, she was coherent enough to ask, "Then why?"

It was a question that had plagued him since he was a child. Why did his parents have to die? He had never been able to answer it in a way that had comforted or consoled him, other than to believe that it was God's plan. At that moment he realized that all the nights he had spent with survivor's guilt, wishing that he had died instead of them, were wasted. If this was the pain of a mother without her child, he would never want his own mom to go through that.

Knowing that she was still waiting for an answer, he had to be honest with her. "I don't know," he said. "The world isn't fair. Very bad things happen to the best people, the people who don't deserve them." Using his thumbs to brush away the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, Dick promised, "But I would do anything right now to bring Bobby back to you."

"Thank you," she whispered, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Just…just be with me right now?"

"I'm not going anywhere," he swore, pulling her closer. She wrapped her arms around him, using him as an anchor to reality as she continued to sob, using the emotional release as a way to relieve her pain. Dick stroked her back, wanting to cry himself if it meant alleviating some of the pain his friend was in.

Eventually, the weeping subsided, though she still clung to him, almost unconscious from exhaustion. Gathering the last of his strength, Dick swept an arm under her and lifted her up into his arms. He carried her into her bedroom, and after slipping off his shoes, he placed her in the bed and climbed in alongside her, pulling up the blanket around him.

"I love you, Donna," he told her softly, holding her, cocooning himself around her. Just for one night it was going to be his job to protect her from the pain of the world.

* * *

A/N: Blame alittlesummerwine. She kept mentioning that part in the Technis Imperative where Donna is with a hologram of her son and Dick has to take her away. It's very sad. Plus, with all the confusion about her identity and stuff, I don't think Donna got enough time to angst about her son. I'm filling that void.

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	6. Rain

**Title:** Stand in the Rain  
**Fandom:** Teen Titans  
**Characters:** Robin I/Nightwing, Wonder Girl, Alfred Pennyworth, Robin III  
**Prompt:** 066. Rain  
**Word Count**: 2000  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** The simplest things can turn into the moments you never forget.  
**Author's Notes:** Part of this takes place during the time of the original five Titans. The second part is post-Graduation Day, but before the Return of Donna Troy.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, Robin, Wonder Girl, or Alfred. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

Sighing under his breath, Robin tried to remember the last time he had been so mind-numbingly bored. Not even the last Wayne Enterprises function had made him so depressed. The last two hours had been spent doing batarang practice, but as it was raining outside, any other exercises were confined to the claustrophobic training room. At the moment, it was more than he could deal with.

Tossing the bouncy ball that Kid Flash had left at the computer consul up towards the ceiling, he wondered if it wouldn't have been better to just go the charity dinner with Bruce. After a week of midterms at school, he had been granted a reprieve to spend the weekend with his friends in the Titans, thanks to the helpful words of Alfred. Of course, it helped that he wouldn't have had to see Barbara Gordon there. After his mishap as Robin last week, the last thing he needed was to be teased all night by her.

The problem with spending the weekend with his friends was that they actually had to be there. Green Arrow was actually in town for once—a shocker if there ever was one—and had promised to take Speedy camping. Whether that truly happened or his friend was sitting at home brooding while Green Arrow made up for whatever he did to upset Black Canary now was beyond his knowledge, but nonetheless the archer wasn't there.

Kid Flash was spending the weekend with Flash and his Aunt Iris in Central City. Robin had been happy with him before he knew that he was going to be released from the Perfect Ward Cage and let fly free for the first time in weeks. Apparently Iris was the best cook in the world, and Barry was the coolest uncle ever, and they had so much fun that just the concept of it would make Batman's head explode.

He didn't have any idea what was going on with Aqualad, and to Robin that was never a good thing. Generally, Garth checked in a few times a week or at least called him to let him know he was all right. Watching his friend with Arthur made him thankful for what a good guardian Bruce was. Superman always intervened before things got too out of hand, but the fact that he had to intervene at all worried him.

Wonder Girl…Wonder Girl was supposed to be here. At least, that's what the note she had left on the Titans' bulletin board said. Originally, when he had read it and processed the idea that the other guys weren't coming, butterflies had invaded Robin's stomach. Butterflies armed with heat vision and a sick sense of humor.

While they often partnered together on missions, he had never spent a lot of time alone with her on a social level. Usually they were joined by at least one of the other Titans, and they pushed him out of the way so that they could spend as much time with her as possible. Speedy and Kid Flash were both open in their pursuits of her, but Robin hoped that he was a little subtler with his affections for the Amazon. He had his suspicions that Aqualad shared their crush on Wonder Girl, despite his constant teasing of the princess, but lately he seemed preoccupied by an Atlantean he referred to as Aquagirl.

It wasn't like Wonder Girl to be late. Sometimes it seemed that she enjoyed their time together more than anyone else. She was most likely flying in from Themyscira, and it was raining out, but he doubted that would have stalled her. But there was always a possibility that she ran into some sort of villain. She could be hurt, or kidnapped, or… Panic seizing his heart, Robin reached for his Titans' communicator, "Wonder Girl? Wonder Girl, are you there?"

"Yes, Robin, I'm here," came her sweet voice.

He sighed in relief. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside."

"Outside?" Robin switched the monitor screen in front of him to show a pan of the area outside the Titans' Lair. Just as she had said, Wonder Girl was standing outside as the rain poured down from the sky. "Um…what are you doing?"

He watched as she raised her communicator back towards her mouth. "Nothing."

"Okay…I'll be right there." Abandoning his post at the command center, Robin adjusted his domino mask and walked outside, padding across the ground in his green pixie boots.

Just as it was on the screen inside the Lair, Wonder Girl stood in the middle of the entranceway, face tilted up towards the sky. It appeared that she had been outside for a while, as her outfit was soaked through. Her black ponytail dripped down her back, gathering on the ground with her red ballet slippers that tied up her ankles. He cleared his throat as he stared at her, "Wonder Girl?"

The Amazon turned and smiled at him, causing his heart to flip over in his chest. "Hi, Robin!"

"Hi," he greeted her slowly, running a hand through his damp hair as she made no move towards the door. "It's raining."

"I know," she replied simply.

Lightning flashed, followed shortly by thunder, letting the Boy Wonder know that the storm was right over them. "Um…okay then…" For a few minutes he stood there, shivering lightly from the wind. He was about to turn to go back inside when she said, "It doesn't rain on Themyscira."

Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess that's why they call it Paradise Island."

"I like the rain," she objected lightly. Wonder Girl spread her arms out, as if opening herself up to the clouds above them. "It just feels like it washes everything else away."

"But that's not how precipitation works," Robin protested. "It's a cycle. The rain falls from the clouds, then evaporates into gas, which forms clouds, and then it turns back into rain."

Wonder Girl's face fell and she looked to the ground, causing Robin's heart to seize in his chest. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. But before he could apologize to her, she looked up at him and grinned, "Then it reminds me of you!"

It was his turn to be confused again. "Huh?"

She smiled sheepishly, "I don't mean to offend you. But it seems that whenever you get angry you let it out, but then you see how it hurts people and you apologize and pull it back in. At least, that's what it looks like to me."

He opened and closed his mouth several times, not understanding what to say to such a claim. "I-I'm not offended," he assured her after a moment of uncertain silence.

As the thunder echoed above, Wonder Girl said, "I love the rain. I love it because it can't be controlled."

Robin chuckled. "That's why most people hate it."

"The reason Wonder Woman and I are here is to teach people peace that we have gained through the help of our Gods," she reminded him. "Man's World is all about power and control, over everything. Some people plan every second of their lives. Rain is just a reminder that the Gods are there and they control everything. Men can predict, and hide from, and recreate rain, but they can't control it no matter how hard they try."

Nodding slowly, Robin smiled at his teammate. "You're right."

Together they stood in the rain, and Robin grew to like the sensation of the water against his skin, running down his body and cooling off his flesh. As he closed his eyes and let his other senses take over, he realized how much more alive he felt just standing there with her.

Eventually, Wonder Girl turned to him, "You know, you really don't have to stand here with me."

"Oh," he swallowed hard. "Okay." She turned her head back to the sky, but he couldn't help second-guessing himself as he turned to go back inside. Instead of leaving her alone, Robin walked toward Wonder Girl and slid his hand in hers.

The look she gave him was filled with so much vulnerability and uncertainty that he couldn't help but smile at her. Wonder Girl smiled in relief, squeezing his hand lightly. As the storm continued to blow over them, the couple enjoyed the weather and each other's company.

When Robin returned back to Wayne Manor after the weekend, he couldn't even regret the cold he had managed to catch. "Master Dick, what were you doing this weekend that you got so ill?" Alfred demanded as he brought his young charge a mug full of tea.

"I was standing in the rain," the teenager said honestly, holding up a hand to cover his cough.

"Why on Earth would you do a thing like that?" the butler reprimanded as he added another blanket on top of the young master, clicking his tongue.

Dick smiled lightly into his cup. "Because it washes everything away."

Alfred shook his head. "Nonsense." As he straightened up around the large bedroom, Dick closed his eyes and tried to remember the unique sensation of the rain droplets on his skin.

The light spray of the water on his skin was an indescribable feeling. The cool water against the warmth of his body was the ultimate refreshment. It was as if he could melt away right there.

* * *

"Nightwing?"

Dick Grayson opened his eyes and focused on the Robin in front of him, knowing that there were concerned eyes behind that green domino mask "Yeah?"

Tim Drake wiped off the water that was on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he told him quickly, not bothering with a comforting smile.

"Okay," the third Robin shrugged, moving to the edge of the building. "Come on, we need to get to the docks."

Nightwing ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be there in a minute. There's something I have to do first."

Raising an eyebrow at his mentor, Robin questioned, "What's that?"

A sigh managed to escape the former Boy Wonder. "I have to stand in the rain."

The current Robin didn't seem to understand. "Huh?"

"Don't worry about it," Nightwing assured him, shaking his head. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

"If you say so," Robin shrugged, launching a jumpline to building next to them and swinging off the roof into the night.

When Batman's current sidekick was out of sight, Nightwing took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his body enjoy the feeling of the water falling down on him. A lump in his throat reminded him of the lie he had once heard: the rain didn't wash everything away. Donna had told him that once, but Donna was dead and standing here wasn't washing that fact away.

The thought hurt, but as the rain soaked through his uniform, through the Kevlar to touch his skin, it felt like as if his best friend was with him again. It seemed that they were both right. As much as the rain washed things away, it was a cycle that always brought back what he needed. He knew that one day what he lost would be found again as long as he never forgot her. And part of that was just being with her by standing in the rain.

* * *

A/N: This was inspired by the Superchick song 'Stand in the Rain.' It was really just me forcing myself to get something out so maybe I can break through this writers' block of mine. Seeing as it took me almost 20 hours to write, I don't think it worked too well, but at least I finished it.

Questions, comments, reactions, and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. Lunch

**Title:** Confessions

**Fandom:** Teen Titans

**Characters:** Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Wally West, Linda Park-West, Iris West, Barry West

**Prompt:** 057. Lunch

**Word Count**: 4,932

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary:** Dick Grayson and Wally West discuss the woman closest to them and long-hidden secrets are revealed.

**Author's Notes:** This is a companion fic to my other story, Always Come Back To You. That does not have to be read to understand this. It just inspired this.

**Continuity: ****SPOILERS** for current comics involving the Flash family. If you haven't read Flash or JLA lately and don't want to be spoiled, don't read. You have been warned.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans, Nightwing, Troia, or Flash. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

"Thanks for inviting me over, Wally," Dick told him, taking a sip of his raspberry iced tea. "I'm really glad the two of us have a chance to sit and talk now that you're back."

Smiling at his best friend, the redhead leaned back in his patio chair. "Don't worry about it, man. I wanted to discuss some stuff with you and it's not exactly a conversation we should have with the rest of the guys."

Raising an interested eyebrow, the heir to Wayne Enterprises nodded. "Alright then." He gazed around the backyard, taking in the kids playing soccer and Linda over by the grill. "I really don't mind helping with lunch, by the way."

"Oh, I know. With all those great Bat-barbecuing skills that Alfred taught you, right? Or maybe it was all that time you grilled in your apartment in Bludhaven…" the speedster grinned.

"I know how to work a grill, West," Dick glared.

"Heh, I know," Wally laughed, blue eyes shining—teasing Dick was just too easy. "Linda likes to do it though. She says she likes it slow-cooked and I just do it way too fast." Lowering his voice conspiratorially, he whispered, "Don't tell her this, but she actually does cook it better."

Smirking, Dick glanced over at the former reporter who was loading charcoal into the grill. "I'm really not surprised. Your wife's tough. I wouldn't want to mess with her."

With a nod, Wally agreed. "Tell me about it. I hope Iris takes after her." He glanced over at his kids, who were playing super-speed soccer behind them. "I'm already worrying about boys. Linda tells me that I'm not allowed to ruin her social life just because every boy looks like a supervillain."

His friend couldn't help but laugh. "Well, Iris is lucky. I'm just thinking about poor Lian. Roy's probably going to meet all of her friends at the door with a gun."

Wally looked thoughtful. "Think he'd lend me one?"

"Oh, no, don't you dare tell your wife that I put that thought into your head," Dick warned, eyes shooting warily over to Linda, who didn't seem to have heard.

"I know, I know…" Wally sighed, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table in front of them. "They just grow up so fast." For a moment, he watched his kids and they tussled over the soccer ball. "The Speed Force just…just messes with everything…" He sounded choked up and Dick could tell what was on his mind.

Running a hand through his black hair, he tried to think of the most gentle, delicate way of approaching this. "Wally…I'm…I'm so sorry about Bart. I know how you feel."

The redhead's blue eyes seemed darker as he looked up at his friend. "Yeah?"

"Jason may be alive and…okay, not well, at least not mentally, but I can still remember how I felt when he died." Dick's voice got unintentionally quieter. "All I could think about was how I failed, and I could have done better, and maybe if I had been there or helped him more it wouldn't have happened…"

Slowly, Wally nodded. "Yeah…yeah, that's how it feels. Thanks, Dick."

Dick patted his friend's shoulder. "You're not alone. If you need to talk, just let me know."

"I appreciate that," the Flash said gratefully. "But I think if anyone needs you, it's Tim. I hear he didn't take the news too well. And, well, I have Jay and Max and Linda… I'll be okay."

The former Robin held back a sigh. He didn't want to admit how worried he was about his new little brother. Tim had lost so much in just over a year… The fact that he was still functioning worried him more than anything. It just didn't seem right, from a psychological standpoint. Not even Bruce could compartmentalize that well; the fact that Tim could was frightening.

"Let's talk about better things," Wally said with a forced smile. "How's everything over in New York?"

"Not bad, actually. I'm kind of bored sometimes," Dick admitted. "There was either a lot more going on in Bludhaven or New York's just better at hiding it."

"You've got Donna there too," Wally pointed out, leaning back in his patio chair.

He shrugged. "Unfortunately, we don't see each other so much. She's uptown, I'm…"

"Not living up to your bank account?" he suggested.

Dick smiled sheepishly. "I just don't need anything that luxurious. Donna's used to things like that and with her job she has a reputation to uphold. Besides, even if I did have a big place, I'd have no idea how to decorate it or anything."

Wally gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm sure Donna would help you. Making things look good is kind of her job. You know that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." When Dick gave him a quizzical look, Wally said, "I'll be right back."

The speedster rushed into the house and was back within a few seconds. He set a photo album on the patio table. Dick frowned at it. "What's this?"

"Jay kept our things after we disappeared," Wally answered. As Dick started flipping through it, he continued to explain, "Donna made it for me right before I left the team, like a going away present. And over the years she's been sending me pictures for me to add to it. She knew that I always felt a little left out, being out here when you all were on the coast or in the coast, as Garth's case may be."

Stopping at a page, Dick chuckled at a shot of him and Roy attempting to look tough, which was rather difficult with the pixie boots and that feathered hat. It was easy to understand why none of the villains had taken them seriously. "Donna's good like that," he acknowledged. "She's the only one of us who actually remembers everyone's birthday without having an alert on a PDA or something."

"Yeah," Wally snorted, "I even forget Linda's birthday sometimes!" He hesitated, then added, "Don't tell her I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me," Dick assured him. Focusing on his friend, he looked confused. "So, you wanted to talk to me about…pictures?"

For a second, Wally considered it. "A few certain pictures, actually." Flipping to the back of the photo album, he pulled out a few pictures that were loose. Holding up one for his friend to look at, he asked, "What do you see here?"

Glancing at it for a moment, Dick said, "It's the five of us back when we were kids and had the worst fashion sense ever. No wonder Mad Mod hated us."

"And what's happening in this picture?"

"We're hanging out?" the Boy Wonder attempted. "I think this is at Ollie's old place. Dinah took this, didn't she?"

Waving off the question, Wally tried again. "What are you doing in it?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he said, "I'm standing."

"Next to?"

"You."

"And?"

"Donna."

Sighing in relief, Wally said, "Alright, good. Glad we've established that." He held up another photo, of the new Titans in front of the first Tower than Silas had built for them. "And this one?"

Dick sighed too, but it was one of annoyance and frustration. "I'm standing on the Island with the old team, between you and Donna."

A proud smile appeared on Wally's face. "Exactly. And this one?"

This picture was taken at Donna's wedding, presumably by Carl due to the professional nature of the shot. "This one is a trick, seeing as how Donna and I are the only one in that picture." Taking a gulp of his iced tea, he said, "I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that you want to talk to me about Donna."

"See, you're not as slow as I thought," Wally beamed. "I knew you'd get it eventually."

Regarding his friend with a quizzical eye, Dick shook his head. "Wally, just spit it out. This whole beating around the bush thing isn't you. If you need to tell me something, just say it. You know I like stuff up front."

Again, the redhead sighed in relief. "Oh, good. For the record, Linda's the one who said that I should be subtle and tactful about this. Okay, then, really." Taking a deep breath, Wally asked, "Why are you such an idiot?"

Dick blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"It's an honest question," Wally assured him. "You're supposedly one of the best detectives in the world. I like to think that you're smarter than Bruce in some areas, but when I think about it sometimes, you prove me wrong. So why are you being so stupid?"

The black-haired man was starting to realize why Linda had wanted her husband to try a less direct approach. "I…I really wish I knew what you were talking about, Wally."

Once again, the Scarlet Speedster held up the picture that was taken at Donna's wedding. He lightly taped the bride that was smiling away in the shot. "Do you think she's pretty?"

For a moment, Dick remembered the awe he had felt upon seeing Donna in her wedding dress for the first time. "Of course I do. She's beautiful."

"So you don't just like redheads?"

He couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes. "You guys really need to stop with that joke. I have dated women that weren't redheads before."

"But not for any extended period of time," Wally pointed out. "But okay. That's good to know."

Dick rubbed his eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what this is about?"

For a moment, Wally watched his kids play ball, Barry scoring a goal on his now older sister. "She's going to kill me for saying this…" He sighed, then looked his friend in the eye. "Donna loves you, Dick."

"Donna loves everyone, Wally."

"No, Dick," Wally insisted. "Donna's in love with you."

Stunned, Dick sat back in his chair, absorbing the words that Wally told him. "Wally," he said slowly. "Donna's my best friend."

He nodded slowly, running a hand through his hair. "I know. That's probably why she never told you. That's why she made me promise not to tell you, even though I realized it years ago. Don't tell her I told you, by the way. I'd really like to watch my kids grow up."

To avoid saying anything for a minute, Dick poured himself some more iced tea. "I…Wally, no offense, but you've got to be mistaken."

"I know I'm not, Dick," he assured him, speeding inside the house to get some more sugar packets. "I've talked about it with her. She's in love with you. Has been for years."

As he watched the sugar dissolve into the liquid, Dick asked, "How long?"

Wally shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I figured it out when we remade the Titans with Raven."

With a start, Dick dropped the iced tea spoon on the table before it ever made it into his glass. "That…that was almost ten years ago, Wally!"

"I know," he nodded. "And that's just when I figured it out."

"Donna's always been the most…enigmatic of our group," Dick said generously. "But she wouldn't keep a secret like that for ten years."

"It wasn't exactly a secret," the redhead pointed out. "I knew. I'd bet money that Diana's aware. It wouldn't surprise me if Garth knew either. The quiet ones always know things like that."

Dick recovered long enough to stir the sugar throughout his tea. "Donna and I…we don't keep secrets from each other. She tells me things that she doesn't tell Diana, and I share things with her that, frankly, you've never heard, Wally. She would have told me."

Wally gave him a look. "Uh huh. And when, exactly, would she have told you this? When we were first starting out and you cared more about your bat-a-rangs than girls, despite the fact that she used to flirt with you?" Dick started and Wally continued without pause, "Don't give me that look. Yes, she flirted with you and it always made me jealous. You just didn't notice.

"Or how about when she started dating Roy because he didn't annoy her like I did and didn't ignore her like you did? Or later, when Bette and Duela were constantly fighting for your affections and none of us hid our attraction to Lilith? Yeah, I'm sure that was a great confidence booster for her."

Dick frowned, squeezing more lemon into his iced tea than he could ever possibly need. "She was crazy for Roy back then."

The Flash shrugged. "It doesn't mean that she wasn't crazy for you too. And then when Raven regrouped the team," he couldn't help say the empath's name with some bitterness in his voice, "it was pretty obvious to me that she was head over heels for you."

It was a testament to just how stunned the detective was when the soccer ball hit him in the side of the head. Wally picked it up, then looked at his friend, who rubbed his temple. Iris West sped up next to them, blushing lightly. "Sorry, Uncle Dick."

"Um…it's okay, Iris…" Dick did his best to smile at her.

Wally tossed the ball to his daughter. "Try to be more careful, kiddo."

"Yes, Daddy," she promised, pushing back a lock of dark red hair that had escaped her ponytail.

Barry ran up and stopped short next to his big sister. "Hey, Dad? Is lunch going to be ready soon? I'm hungry."

Wally glanced over at the grill, where Linda was mouthing curse words. "I'm sure Mommy will get it up soon."

"Why don't you go help her?" Barry wondered.

"Because the couch isn't that comfortable," he replied without being able to help himself. The kids looked confused and he just shook his head. "You guys go play. If you get really hungry you can go inside and get a Popsicle."

The West children nodded, then ran back to start playing again as their father turned back to his friend. "Are you okay?"

"No, not really," Dick sighed.

Wally smirked. "I meant your head."

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. How could you tell? That Donna was in love with me, I mean."

"Besides the fact that it was totally oblivious?" the redhead countered quickly. "Let's see… The way she looked at you, the way she responded when you walked in a room, the way she tried to hurt anyone who threatened you, the way she would do anything in the world for you, the way she reacted when you and Kory started going out, the way she took forever to introduce us to Terry…"

"She married Terry!" Dick protested. "Why would she have done that if she was in love with me?"

Wally's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Were you or were you not, at the time, hopelessly smitten with a certain alien?" Dick's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. His friend decided to keep talking, "We know that Donna's the most amazing woman in the world—other than Linda, of course. But she never thought she could compare with Kory. Kory's gorgeous and outgoing and she was able to kiss you the day she met you, which Donna wasn't able to do it in all the years she's known you."

As the former Boy Wonder absorbed this information, the speedster continued. "There's just never been a good time for her to tell you even if she wanted to. She was married to Terry and you were with Kory and then she was with Kyle and then you were with Barbara and then she was with Roy and you were almost-maybe-kinda-sorta with Barbara. And then she died."

Despite the warm sun on his skin, Dick Grayson suddenly felt cold as he remembered holding her lifeless body in his arms. Wally's voice sounded tight as he said, "I haven't spoken to Donna much since she came back, but if I had to guess what her biggest regret was, it was that she couldn't tell you just how much you meant to her."

For a long moment, the two men sat in silence. Finally, Dick asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because if I had to guess what your biggest regret was when she died, it would be not telling her how much she meant to you."

"She knows that I care about her," he protested softly.

"I don't think that you even know how much you care about her," Wally told him honestly, smiling sadly. "I know that after she died we didn't talk a lot. I blame myself for some of that. I felt so guilty that I wasn't there, wasn't able to help save her. But even if I had called you wouldn't have picked up, would you? Or did you just avoid Roy's calls?"

Dick's jaw dropped in surprise. "How did you…?"

Wally shrugged. "We're in the JLA together now. We talk. Roy knows a lot more gossip than he lets on. Particularly about you."

"Remind me to stop talking to him," Dick grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry. He's not telling everyone all your deep, dark secrets. He just feels that I have a right to know if something's up with our best friend." Wally caught Dick's eye. "You disagree?"

Sighing, Dick assured him, "Of course not, Wally."

Wally took a gulp of his own iced tea, which was watered down from the ice melting in it. After chugging more than half the glass, he asked, "Then why didn't I know how much Donna's death affected you? Maybe it's a Bat thing. I get that. But…Diana and I talked."

"You did?" Dick wondered aloud, surprised.

Nodding, the Flash explained, "I couldn't look at her without seeing Donna and she couldn't look at me without remembering her sister. So after about a week and a half of avoiding each other, we started talking. We shared stories and memories—I know it made me feel better, and I hope it helped her too."

"That's…" the black-haired man sighed. "That's good, Wally."

"You, on the other hand, didn't talk to anyone," Wally reprimanded. "At least anyone that I've heard from. Diana would have told me, Roy said you avoided him, I'm sure you and Bruce didn't have a long heart to heart discussion about it."

Dick closed his eyes for a long moment. "You weren't there—"

"I know," Wally interrupted. "And I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay," Dick assured him. "But you can't possibly know how it felt. I held her, Wally. I held her in my arms as the life slipped out of her, as her body turned cold. I was the last person to see her alive. But I couldn't do anything to save her…" He broke off as the emotions of the memories overwhelmed him. Desperately blinking back tears, he took several deep breaths to calm himself.

Keeping an eye on his best friend, the Fastest Man Alive whispered, "I can't imagine what that was like and I don't want to try. But…you shut everyone out for weeks. Months. Roy said that the first time he saw you was three months after her funeral."

Dick rubbed the back of his neck. "Everything reminded me of her. Especially Roy. It just hurt…hurt so much. She's my best friend, Wally. I never expected to lose her. No matter what happened, Donna was there. I guess I took it for granted, that she would always be there. Without her I was…lost."

With a sigh, Wally reached over and patted Dick's shoulder. "We all missed her. And we all loved her. But honestly, man…you were affected more than anyone. More than Roy, who was in love with her. More than Diana. You were hurt more than her twin sister was. I just think that's something that you need to consider."

Dick opened his mouth to reply when Linda cut him off, calling over, "Wally, will you help me with this grill?"

"Be right there, honey!" he yelled back. Smiling at his friend, he told him, "Just think about it, okay?"

He watched as Wally crossed the backyard, wrapping his arms around his wife and kissing her cheek as she explained what was taking so long. As Dick took in their obvious love for each other, he realized that it was something he was missing. Something he had denied one of the people that meant most to him in the world. If she was feeling as empty as he was at the moment, he wasn't sure that he would ever forgive himself.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Donna Troy returned home from work. She was never happier to live in New York City; most restaurants would still deliver for another few hours and she was starving. As she opened the door to her penthouse, she flipped on the lights, sighing in relief as she slipped off her pumps.

A startled gasp escaped her when she realized that someone was sitting on her couch. Luckily, a moment later she realized that it was Dick, completely costumed as Nightwing. "Hi," she greeted him warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," he explained, slipping off his mask and putting it on her coffee table.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was at the dark room at work. We don't have clocks in there and I just lost track of time." Setting her camera bag on the credenza in the foyer, she walked into the living room with a smile on her face. "Have you been here long?"

He shrugged. "A few hours, on and off. I've been patrolling the area, waiting for you to come home."

She frowned, a concerned look on her face. "I'm really sorry. Why didn't you call?"

"I wasn't sure I was actually going to come until I got here," he admitted.

Nodding slowly, something occurred to her. "I never gave you a key, did I?"

A smirk graced his face as he shook his head. "You left your window unlocked. Probably not the best idea."

"I'm over twenty floors up," she pointed out. "There aren't exactly so many superheroes and supervillains in New York that they're all on top of each other." Stretching to get the kinks out of her back and neck, Donna asked, "Is there a reason why you needed to see me?"

He bent over, leaning his arms on his legs and sighing lightly. "I just…I need to talk to you about something."

"Fair enough," she admitted. "We haven't had a lot of time to talk lately. Mind if we discuss it over pizza? I'm famished."

"Have I ever said no to pizza?" he smiled, knowing that Donna was always the one who remembered everyone's favorite food.

Walking into the kitchen, she pressed 8 on her speed dial and ordered two pies for them. After hanging up, she leaned over the kitchen island, smiling at him from across the room. "What did you want to talk about?"

Dick came over and took a seat at the island bar as she got a beer for each of them out of the refrigerator. "I went to Wally's house today for lunch. We talked for a long time."

"How's he doing?" she questioned him, her eyes clouding with worry. "Being back and what happened to Bart…"

"He's doing okay. We didn't really talk about Bart too much," he admitted, taking a sip out of the longneck bottle. "It still hurts him."

She nodded in understanding. "I'm sure it does. I can't even imagine how I would feel if something happened to Cassie. But I'm glad you were there for him." Cocking her head to the side with curiosity, she said, "You didn't come here to tell me that you didn't talk about Bart. At least, I don't think you did."

Clearing the condensation off the bottle with his hands, he confessed, "No, I didn't. Actually, we talked about you."

Donna blinked. "Me?" She bit her bottom lip as she looked at him, "Should I feel flattered or scared?"

"We only said good stuff about you," he assured her. "You're perfect. What else is there to say?"

A blush spread over her face. "Well, thank you. So you came over here just to flatter me?"

He looked up from the granite countertop and into her eyes. "Wally told me that you're in love with me."

It was impossible to miss the shocked look on her face as her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped slightly. "He…he did?"

"Yes, he did," Dick nodded. "But I wanted to hear it from you."

"You know you mean the world to me, Dick…" she whispered, avoiding his gaze. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she imagined the proper way to kill the Scarlet Speedster.

Getting up off his barstool, he walked around the island and turned her towards him, forcing her to look at him. "Donna, do you love me?"

There was a long pause where she just looked at him, staring into his eyes. Finally, her voice cracked as she admitted, "Yes… I love you, Dick."

Quickly, his hands moved to her face, cradling it as he brought his own head down to kiss her soundly. Her knees buckled; she was forced to hold on to the kitchen counter with one hand and his strong bicep with the other to keep from falling on the ground. He kissed her for what seemed like minutes, hours, years until they broke away and she decided that it was much too soon.

"I…I don't understand," she panted, looking at him in confusion.

"I love you too," he told her, gloved hands threaded through her hair. "I need you in my life more than I could have ever possibly imagined. I was so completely lost without you."

She leaned against his hand, shivering as it stroked her cheek. "Really?"

"You are the harbinger," he pointed out. "Didn't you see anything that happened while you were gone?"

"Only a little bit," she explained. "I didn't want to pry. I didn't think it was really any of my business."

A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. "I know it took me forever, but when you were dead, I was…I can't even explain it. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, but I know that without you…it's hard to find things worth living for."

"I've been back for a year," Donna pointed out, tears filling her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never told me either," he smiled.

A large sigh escaped her. "Because you're Dick Grayson. You can have any woman in the world that you want."

"I don't want any woman. Even when I was thirteen I wanted you, just not to this extent. You've always been too good for me." Donna looked so flabbergasted at this admission that he just hurried to continue. "You're stunning, and powerful, and so accomplished as both Donna Troy and Troia. Any guy would kill for you. Not to mention that you're an Amazon princess."

She opened her mouth to respond. "And you're—"

"I'm…" he interrupted, "just a circus gypsy who was adopted by Bruce Wayne. I don't deserve you. No one deserves you."

Shaking her head, Donna reached up her hand and placed a finger lightly against his lips. He kissed it and she smiled. "You are amazing. After everything you've been through, you still know how to love. You're compassionate and smart and sweet and wonderful in more ways than I can imagine. Everyone respects you; everyone wants to work with you because you are just…just too amazing for words."

He removed the finger, pulling her forward to replace it with her lips on his. Donna expected this kiss and responded with a passion she had thought was lost a long time ago, fighting off a feeling of lightheadedness that came with just being with him.

"I love you," he repeated as they came up for air, not removing his arms from around her. "I need you in my life. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you again."

"I'm not going anywhere, Dick," she promised. "There is nothing in the multiverse—death, dimensions, planets—that could keep me from you for long."

Her arms were around her neck and his around her waist as they came together, kissing desperately. Their hands roamed wildly, touching, caressing, memorizing every part of the person they loved. Eventually, she was pressed against the wall, the two attached at the lips.

Suddenly, Donna's stomach rumbled. She pulled away, blushing heavily as he chuckled. "Well, that just ruined the moment," she said sheepishly.

"It didn't," he assured her, placing gentle kisses all over her face and running his hands up and down her sides.

Purring lightly, she whispered, "The pizza will be here soon. We can eat and then the rest of the night can be just for us…"

He grinned at her, the same grin that had made her knees go weak for half of her life. "Sounds good. Can I just ask you one thing from you?"

"Anything," she promised, pressing her body against his.

"Don't kill Wally."

A laugh escaped her and she nodded. "Okay, I won't." They kissed again, loving each other with their mouths, the wheels turning in her head as she tried to imagine the proper way to thank the Scarlet Speedster.


	8. What?

Title: Perfection, Part One or How I Learned To Accept That Bruce and Alfred are Sadists and Just Enjoy the Prom

Fandom: Teen Titans

Characters: Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne

Prompt: 077. What?

Word Count: 4,961

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Dick never wanted to go to his senior prom. Too bad it wasn't his decision.

Author's Notes: This was getting really long, so I've split it into two parts. Part two will be up when I finish it. Oh, and this is almost surely an AU, but I don't care.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, Robin, Wonder Girl, Batman, or anything else that DC made up. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

It was a testament to his training that Dick Grayson could walk down the hallways of Gotham Preparatory Academy and completely ignore the excited conversations going on around him. Had he tuned in to the ramblings of his fellow students, he would have heard the same thing he had been hearing for almost two months: senior prom. The impending date was finally going to arrive this weekend and he couldn't care less.

While he was a senior and it was his God-given right to attend this dance, nothing about it interested him. It wasn't just that he really, really didn't want to hear about it anymore—who was going with whom, who had booked a hotel room for afterwards, where everyone was going afterwards to get drunk—but what was the point? Everyone paid an arm and a leg for tickets, sold their soul for something great to wear, and danced uncomfortably until they were allowed to leave in order to do something illegal in one way or another.

Illegality certainly wasn't his thing. He lived with Batman, after all; he would get caught. There was nothing exciting, or at least nothing as exciting as a night out as Robin. He didn't want to get drunk, and being laid, while on his list of things to do eventually, wasn't on his list of things to accomplish this weekend. Should he have gotten around to asking out one of his spoiled classmates, they'd be home probably the minute of their curfew or at least the earliest socially acceptable time so that he could get home and change out of the tux and into the pixie boots. They would have a horrible time, so, really, he was doing them a favor by not asking.

He kept this mentality in the forefront of his mind as he stopped to get the books he would need for his homework from his locker. Luckily, the AP tests were over, so he only had Spanish and Speech homework, considering they were his only classes that weren't advanced placement. After slipping the books into his leather messenger bag, which was far too expensive for any kind of backpack, he closed his locker door, surprised to see Cynthia Madras leaning against the locker next to his, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"Hi, Cyndy," he said, smiling warily. This was not a good sign. "How are you?"

Pushing her long blonde hair, which was probably not worth the colorist she paid, behind her shoulder, her smile simply widened. "I'm fabulous, Dick. And yourself?"

Nodding, he told her, "I'm good." She didn't say anything, but she wasn't leaving, so Alfred's training took over. "Was there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"You know I'm on the prom committee of course." He nodded again; of course he did. The girl never had a conversation without mentioning it. "Well," she continued, "I'm just making sure that all the seniors are ready for this weekend."

"That's really nice of you," he said, his smile becoming more forced by the minute. It was unfair of him to think badly of her. Maybe she was trying to make sure people were happy in those small moments when she wasn't trying to bribe or threaten people into voting for her for Prom Queen. "Are you ready for this weekend? You're going with Kyle Planners right?"

She bit her over-glossed bottom lip. "We had discussed it. You know, since we're probably going to be King and Queen of Prom Court anyway. If someone else doesn't ask me, of course."

Dick nodded as politely as he could. "Well, good luck with that. I hope you win." Checking his watch, he faked a sigh, trying to keep any bit of relief out of it. "I'm sorry to have to cut this conversation short, but I have to go. I told Bruce that I'd be home as soon as school was over, and he doesn't like to wait."

"Right, of course," she said, smiling at him again. "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble and get grounded."

"Thanks." Adjusting his messenger back strap on his shoulder, he said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

As he tried to walk past her, she grabbed his arm. "You have my number, right? You know, if you need to ask me anything."

"I've got it," he assured her. "Talk to you later, Cyndy." Dick eased his arm out of her grasp, then continued down the hallway towards the east parking lot, relieved to get away with all of his limbs intact.

He had almost made it when he felt a strong arm fall on his shoulder. "Grayson!" Matt Walsh greeted him. "What's up, man?"

"Nothing much. Hey, Conrad," Dick said, nodding to Ryan Conrad on Matt's other side, who nodded back.

"So, Conrad here and I were wondering what you were doing after prom," Matt explained. "The two of us and a couple other guys have bought rooms at the Hilton and they're reserving some more for Prep students. We're hopin' to sell out that entire section of the floor to make it one big party without any idiot tourists or fucking old people getting in the way and ruining our fun. What do you say?"

Dick shrugged. "Sorry, but I'm not going to prom."

The two other men stopped in their tracks, staring at him as if he said he was planning on studying for the priesthood. "Not going to prom?" Walsh repeated.

"What's wrong, Grayson?" Conrad smirked at the shorter senior. "Couldn't get a date?"

Dick opened his mouth to retort, but Blair cut him off. "No, no, I've seen girls throwing themselves at you for weeks now. I mean, that's what Cyndy was doing just now. You could have said yes to one of them. So what's wrong? Wayne won't let you go?"

Although it would have been the perfect excuse, he didn't feel like lying over something this stupid. "No, I just wasn't planning on it. It's just not my thing, you know?"

"It'll be fun," Walsh promised, and Conrad nodded in agreement. "Plus, it's not like you won't be able to find someone to go with you. Cyndy would. I've heard other girls talking about it. Lara Wilkinson told my sister she'd go down on you, and Trish Nash expressed that she'd make it worth your while."

"As great as that sounds, I just don't think it's my thing. But look, I'll think about it, okay?"

Walsh nodded. "Fair enough. Keep it in mind, Grayson. We're counting on you!"

"See you guys later." He started walking faster out of the double doors, walking straight out to the parking lot, a large sense of relief filling his chest as he saw his car. The sanctuary of the BMW never felt so good, he thought as he climbed in, throwing his bag on the on the passenger seat, and closing the door behind himself. After sighing loudly, he started the car, heading out toward the manor.

At least there he'd be safe, he realized. Bruce never read the Gotham Prep newsletter, so he probably didn't even know that prom was this weekend. Not to mention that there were several very nice punching bags to take his frustration out on. Pressing his foot to the gas pedal a little harder, he began to push the speed limit, eager to make it to the haven before somehow, somewhere, someone decided to corner him about the prom.

That night, he did his homework and worked out for almost an hour before Alfred called him to wash up for dinner. As he and Bruce ate Alfred's tender steak, they conversed about the usual topics: school, Wayne Enterprises.

Dick probably couldn't have been more surprised when Bruce paused in spearing his green beans to ask him, "Isn't prom this weekend?"

"Um…yeah, it is," Dick told him carefully, buttering his roll nonchalantly.

"Are you going?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

Bruce nodded. "Alright then."

Dick tried not to sigh with relief. If Bruce wasn't going to pester him about it, then he was safe. He hadn't expected that Bruce would insist on him going, but sometimes the man surprised him in the absolute worst ways.

He later realized as dinner was finished and Alfred began clearing the plates that he shouldn't have been so cocky about getting away Scott free. It turned out that Bruce wasn't the one he needed to worry about.

* * *

It was a surprisingly lazy Saturday for Dick. He got to sleep in late for once, his homework was light, and he actually got to chat online with Wally for a little while until the speedster left to hang out with his uncle. Over all, it was the most relaxing weekend he could remember having in years. He should have known that it was too good to be true.

As it neared dinnertime, Dick headed down to the cave to find out what the plans were for that evening. As expected, Bruce was sitting at the computer console, looking at a map of Gotham and plotting out points. Dick leaned over the back of the chair, following the movements on the computer with his eyes. "What are these?"

"The points of a recent string of break ins," Bruce explained. "A murder at almost every one and not enough taken to make it look like it was random. They're looking for something." Another bright point lit up on the screen, flashing to get his attention. "This is the next point that makes sense."

"We staking out there tonight?"

Bruce hesitated for a moment. "No. I'm staking out there tonight."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," he said, switching screens to look at their current inventory of bat-items. "You've got the night off."

It took a moment for Dick to process that. "What?" he demanded, stepping back from the chair. "What did I do?"

"You haven't done anything…that I know of." Bruce turned in his chair, leveling Dick with a stare. "If you did do something, remember, I will find out. What exactly did you and Harper do last month?"

Scowling, Dick's hands curled into fists. "We didn't do anything! God, we just saw a movie! And what exactly does something that I may or may not have done with Roy last month have anything to do with tonight?"

Bruce sighed, watching his son. "I'm sorry, Dick, but it wasn't my decision."

"What do you mean it wasn't your decision? Who else could make that decision?"

"I'm afraid that it was me."

Dick turned towards the stairs. "Alfred? I…I don't understand. I've been getting my homework done. My room's…kind of clean. So why is Robin grounded?"

The butler approached him carefully. "Master Dick, is or is not tonight the night of your senior prom?"

"Wait…you're making me go to prom?"

Alfred smiled sympathetically. "My boy, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, you'll regret it one day. You are still a child; you deserve to have some fun. Life can't be all about fighting."

Of course, Dick knew that there was no arguing with Alfred when he got into the anti-Robin mood. It would pass; it always did. For now, getting out of prom was the most important thing. "But…I don't have a ticket or anything to wear."

"There is nothing for you to worry about," Alfred said. "I have procured your tickets and there's a tuxedo laying on your bed for you to wear."

Damn. Alfred would have planned for this. "Well…I don't have a date. And if Bruce Wayne's ward shows up to his senior prom without a date, it could hurt his reputation." He looked over at Bruce, hoping for some back up, but the billionaire raised his hands in a gesture of intending to stay out of the conversation.

The butler smiled again, this time conspiratorially. "There's no need for you to worry about that, Master Dick. You will not be going alone."

"…you got me a date?"

"Indeed, sir. She will arrive in time for you to make your dinner reservations at eight."

A million horrific scenarios flashed through his mind. The bubble-headed bimbos from society functions, the spoiled brats from his school, the gold diggers who just wanted to get his money or be seen with Bruce Wayne's heir. The only person in Gotham he would have felt the slightest bit comfortable with was Barbara, and she was out of town. Fabulous. Just freaking fabulous.

It had barely started and he already knew that it was going to be a long night.

"Now, Master Dick, you should go upstairs and get into the shower. We want to make sure that you are well and ready for your date."

"Sure, Alfred," he sighed, heading towards the stairs. At the last moment, he looked back hopefully at Bruce. "Unless you need me for a little bit, Bruce?"

The older man shook his head. "I can handle it." He turned to look at his son's dejected face, mouthing, "I owe you." Dick nodded seriously before trudging up the staircase.

Almost two hours later, Dick was pulling on his dress shoes, still moping about the fact that he was being forced to go to prom by his butler. It was a true testament to who was really in charge here that Bruce had let him skip out on work for _prom_, but that was just Alfred's power. This was one of the many times that Dick didn't wonder if maybe Alfred was a meta-human himself.

There was a knock on the door before Bruce stuck his head in. "How are you doing?"

"I'm perfect, Bruce," Dick said sarcastically. "And you?"

His guardian sighed. "I know you didn't want this. But thank you for going along with it. For Alfred. Besides, it might be good for you too. You deserve to have fun. Sometimes I don't realize that you're still young."

He noticed the guilty tone in Bruce's voice, but didn't buy into it. "Fun, huh? Fun like your head on fire or fun like a fork in the eye? I just want to know what I'm dealing with here."

Bruce's eyes carried a warning, but his mouth twitched up at the corners in amusement. "Dick…"

"You're the one who always says never go into a battle unprepared. Which I already am since I don't know exactly what kind of harpy I have to take to this thing."

Shaking his head, the billionaire playboy couldn't help but chuckle. "Listen, do this and I'll fund a trip for you and the Titans to take over the summer before you have to head to Hudson. Anywhere you want to go."

"Really?" Dick said, and Bruce nodded. "And Roy can come?"

"Even Harper can come. But if it happens to be scheduled on the one week he can't make it, I want you to know now that it'll just be a coincidence."

That earned a small smile from Dick. "Okay. Thanks, Bruce."

Resting his hand on his ward's shoulder, Bruce said, "We should get downstairs. You know Alfred is going to want a twenty-point inspection before he lets you go anywhere."

"Yeah, I know." Slipping on his most expensive watch, then putting his wallet and cell phone in the back pocket of his pants, he let Bruce open the door to his room for him, then walked down the stairs dejectedly.

Alfred was waiting at the bottom of the staircase, smiling up at his charged. "Thank you for being ready in time for your date, Master Dick."

"No problem, Alf," Dick said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Now, let's take a look at you," the butler said, circling his charge as he reached the landing. Coming around to the front, he reached up to redo the bow tie, which was slightly crooked. "Your reservations are for the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. I thought that would be easier, and they are known to have good food. The reservations are under Richard Grayson."

"Nothing beats anything you make," Dick pointed out as a last-ditch effort to compliment the butler. "So, when do I have to be home?"

"You don't," Bruce said simply. His son frowned in confusion, urging him to continue. "Alfred and I discussed it, and we decided that because tonight is your senior prom, you don't have a curfew. He has told me that your date doesn't have one either, so you can choose to be home at any time you want."

Dick appraised him for a second, raising an eyebrow in question. "Really? So…if we wanted to jet off to France and come back in a few days, we could?"

The billionaire was not amused. "I suppose so. But I wouldn't recommend it. This is all contingent on you staying out of trouble."

He waved away the concerns. "Don't worry about it. We'll probably be back before midnight, really. It's not like I'm going to take a jet, fill it with hot women, and then go to a private house in the Caribbean. I'm not Roy."

As Bruce paled, his son thought that all of this was almost worth it just to see the look on his face. Why did he never have a camera when he needed it? "Harper did what?"

"Nothing, nothing," Dick said with the sweetest smile he could manage. "I was speaking hypothetically. I mean, as long as he's not convicted."

Bruce's hand tightened on his shoulder, eyes narrowing. "What did Harper do?"

Shrugging his shoulder out of Bruce's grasp, he said, "I don't really know the details. You're just going to have to talk to Ollie." He tried not to laugh at the look of utter revulsion on Bruce's face.

He opened his mouth, presumably to rant about Oliver and Roy, but was cut off by the doorbell. All of the amusement he had gotten from the last few minutes instantly fled Dick's body as he dreaded whatever creature was going to walk through the door. Alfred smiled. "I believe I should get that."

Dick wasn't sure if he was imagining the fact that he was breaking out in a cold sweat, but he did know that right now he wanted to run and hide. This was a bad, bad idea. How had he gotten talked into this? Right now he'd rather be facing the Joker, Poison Ivy, Two Face, and Darkseid by himself. He just had to keep smiling that fake smile and try not to think of how many hours he was going to have to spend with whatever bimbo that walked through the door. Maybe he could convince her his curfew was at eleven…

Alfred stepped back in the room from the foyer, smiling widely. "May I present her royal highness, Princess Donna Troy of Themyscira?"

As the familiar brunette walked into the room, Dick's jaw dropped. "Donna?"

She smiled at him, blue eyes sparkling. "Hi, Dick."

"Hi. Wow. You look…wow."

Donna was wearing a slinky dark blue halter dress, studded with what looked like very small diamonds. If possible, it clung to her form even better than the spandex of her red jumpsuit that she used as Wonder Girl. Her hair seemed wavier than normal, and most of it was pulled into an elegant up do, though several curls hung to frame her face. She seemed even more gorgeous than she usually did. Dick couldn't breathe.

Something was poking him in the back, and when Dick turned around, Bruce was holding a small box and had a large smirk on his face. "You knew about this," Dick accused in a hissed whisper. Bruce did his best to appear innocent, but it didn't work well with the smirk.

Taking the box, Dick glanced at it quickly before opening it. "Your corsage," he told her, pulling out the flowers.

"It's beautiful, Dick," she told him as he slipped the bundle of white roses on to her wrist. "Thank you."

"_You're_ beautiful," he assured her. "Really, Donna, you look amazing."

She blushed lightly as Alfred cleared his throat. "Master Dick, Miss Troy, may I get a picture?"

Bruce moved out of the way so that Dick and Donna could pose in front of the staircase. "Been a while since you've been in front of a camera instead of behind it, huh?" Dick said with a smirk.

"Tell me about it!" She giggled.

As they stood side by side, Dick realized that Donna stood a little bit shorter than him. Confused, he lifted her dress the smallest bit so the hemline was about her ankles. "Flats?"

"Did you really think I was going to show you up at your prom by wearing heels? Plus, I'll be shorter than you and more comfortable."

After Alfred had exhausted the camera, he placed it on one of the antique tables. "If you two are both ready to go, I shall bring the car around."

"Thank you, Alfred," Dick said, and Donna voiced her agreement. He turned to his date, smiling at her with relief. "I can't tell you how happy I was to see you walk through that door."

She frowned at him. "What do you mean? You didn't know I was coming?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, he said, "I didn't even know I was going to prom until a few hours ago."

"But…Alfred told me that you wanted to ask me, but you weren't sure how to do it," she told him.

"Alfred and Bruce showed a new side of sadism today," he chuckled. "I was pretty much told that I had to go."

Her face fell. "Dick, if you don't want to go with me, I'll understand."

Taking her hand in his, he kissed her cheek softly. "Donna, I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to go with anyone else. I'm sorry that I didn't think of asking you myself. But I didn't think you'd want to go to my stupid high school prom."

"I didn't have a prom to go to," she reminded him. "I'm glad to go with you." For a moment, she watched him carefully. "Who did you think was coming to be your date?"

"I had no idea. I figured it would be one of the society girls that I have to put up with all the time and who I'd want to strangle before we even got to the hotel. I just about fainted with relief when you walked in. Now not only do I get to go with someone I like spending time with, I'll have the hottest date there," he said with a smirk.

She blushed again as Alfred walked in and handed him the car key. "I have pulled the car around front for you, Master Dick."

"Thanks, Alf. If you need me, I have my cell…" Dick trailed off as he noticed what was in his hand. "This is the key to the Lamborghini."

"I know, sir."

Dick looked at Bruce, who was smirking again. "You don't even like me touching the Lamb."

"It's a special night," the billionaire said with a shrug. "I thought you deserved it."

He looked at his date. "Let's go before he changes his mind."

Donna laughed as Dick took her hand and started pulling her towards the door. "Thank you!"

A lump rose in Dick's throat as they went outside and the Lamborghini was actually waiting for them. It was a beautiful sight. He helped Donna in to the car, then went over to the driver's side. A large envelope was sitting on his seat, and he removed it before sliding in.

"What's that?" Donna said, nodding to the envelope.

"I have no idea." Shrugging, Dick opened it, pulling out a hand-written note. Reading it quickly, he blinked in surprise. "They…they got us a hotel room." At Donna's confused look, he explained, "It says that if we get tired and don't feel like coming back tonight, they got us a room at the hotel to stay in. Does he expect me to sleep in my clothes…?"

"I brought a bag," Donna told him. "I expected to sleep here tonight. Alfred took it from me when I came. I'd guess that my bag and a bag that they packed for you are in the trunk."

The young man shook his head. "They really were prepared. How'd you get here anyway?"

"I flew." When Dick looked at her incredulously, she added, "I come from an island of togas, remember? I can fly in a prom dress."

He grinned. "Makes sense." Starting the car, a shiver of delight went through him as he felt the powerful vehicle start up. He pulled out of the driveway, enjoying the handling and speed of the car. "Would you be horribly disappointed if we skipped dinner and the prom and just drove around in this for a few hours?"

She glanced at him. "As much fun as that sounds…"

"Okay, okay…Prom it is."

After a long moment of silence, she said, "So, what's the hotel room for?"

He desperately hoped that she couldn't see the blush on his face due to the darkness of the night. "I guess it's so if we get tired, we don't have to drive back."

"Makes sense," she said with a nod. "We might as well then, right?"

"Right." It was very sad how he couldn't get the squeak out of his voice.

Donna looked at him. "Um…something wrong?"

"I just…I thought you should know that usually, during prom, people don't get rooms because they think they'll get tired." He sighed. "Guys get them because it increases the chances of them getting lucky."

The Amazon princess nodded slowly. "I see… Do you plan on getting lucky tonight, Mr. Grayson?"

The years of driving was under pursuit of supervillains was the only thing that kept him from driving off the side of the road in surprise. "Um…" For every amazing mental image that question produced, there was an equally horrific one. They may have broken up, but he saw Roy's accusing glare as well as Wally's. Not to mention the time he had once seen Diana pick up a semi and toss it a few miles. Not extremely comforting. "You know, I'm just going to leave that up to you."

There was no response from her, and after a minute he looked over to see a large, mischievous smile gracing her face. Dick wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

As they neared the hotel and got in the line for valet parking, Donna said, "I think we should do it."

His heart stopped. "Do…it? Do what?"

"Use the hotel room tonight," she said innocently. "We'll probably be tired. I don't want you to have to drive back and be so tired that you lose out on the experience of driving this car that you love so much."

Dick nodded slowly. "Okay… You do realize that we'll probably have just one bed, right?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Dick, we are adults, not to mention Teen Titans. If two mature adults can't be comfortable sharing a bed, then we have no business trying to save the world."

Reaching over, he took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I have absolutely no problem sharing a bed with you. I just wanted to keep your reputation in mind. I don't want anyone speaking badly about you because we spent the night in a hotel room together."

"If someone wants to see something wrong in two friends enjoying each other's company, that's their problem, not ours. Even if you were to get lucky, I'm not sure what's wrong with that." Donna sighed. "It's times like these when I just don't understand man's world. But thank you," she said, kissing his cheek, "for thinking of me."

Finally, they reached the beginning of the line. As a valet opened each of their doors, Dick climbed out and headed to the trunk to get their bags for the night. He glanced over at Donna, who stood awkwardly as the second valet stared at her, the door still open as if he had forgotten how to do anything, including close it. Smirking to himself, he gave the valet his key, then guided Donna inside.

"I think I did something to him," she whispered in his ear.

"He's never seen someone as beautiful as you," Dick said matter-of-factly.

She shot him a look, though her eyes sparkled in amusement. "Oh, stop it. I didn't come with 'Brucie' tonight."

"Brucie? How do you know about Brucie?"

"Diana has been to several functions that he's been at, remember? She's my sister, we talk."

"I'll keep that in mind." Glancing at the line, kissed Donna lightly on the cheek. "Wait here, I'll get us checked in." He didn't miss the surprised look on her face from the kiss, but he hoped that the smile accompanying it meant that it was a welcome surprise.

He was second in line to check in, but couldn't help watching Donna as he did so. Did she not realize that every eye in the place, male or female, instantly gravitated to her? She seemed oblivious to the fact, and he wouldn't put it past her not to notice. The thought made him smile; after knowing so many girls who weren't nearly as beautiful as her that flaunted it so much, it was refreshing.

After checking in, he went back over to see her. "They're going to bring our bags upstairs for us," he explained. Offering her his arm, he said, "I believe that we're just in time for our dinner reservation." Taking his arm, Donna allowed him to take her into the dining hall to begin their evening.


End file.
